James k



(No Model.)

J. K. GLEARY.

BANK CHECK AND DRAFT. No. 298,177. Patented May 6,1884.

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lirica"Q BANK CHIE'CK AND DRAFT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 298,177, dated May 6, 1884.

Application filed April 6, 1883. Renewed March 27, i884. (No model.)I

T0 all whom t may concern,.-

Be it known that I, JAMEs K. CLEARY, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Washington, 'District of Columbia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Bank Checks and Drafts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in checks, drafts, and other similar evidences of value.

The object of my invention is to provide a ready means for protection against alteration of the amount originally stated; and with this end in view my invention consists of a check, draft, or other similar evidence of value printed in the usual form, to lbe filled up by the drawer, and, in addition, with a table of iig- .ures printed upon one end of the face of the check, or at any other desirable locality, said table of figures consisting of ve, or more or less, vertical columns-units, tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, 8va-from right to left in the usual order of enumeration, and each column reading` vertically from top to bottom from one to nine, with indicator77 and arrester characters, as will be hereiir/ aftermore fully explained.

In order that others skilled may fully understand my invention, I will proceed to describe the construction and mode of using the same, referring by letters to the accompanying drawing, which represents a 4plan view of the face side of an ordinary check with my improvement.

The usual form of printed matter and spaces for lling amount is impressed upon the paper, as seen at' A; A number-space is left at B, and a space for the amount in figures,with the dollar-sign, ($0 at C. At anysuitable locality, either upon the back or face of the check, but preferably the latter, I print a form such as shown at D, consistin g of five vertical columns of gurcs reading from top to bottom from one to nine, and from right to left from units to tens of thousands, in the usual order of enumeration, as clearly illustrated in the drawing, and on each side of the figures in each and every column I print indicators a and arresters b.

In using the check the amount for which it is drawn is Written in the usual space left for thatpurpose, and the figures corresponding with the written amount are made at the lefthand corner at C, and then the figures printed at the point D are punched, as indicated by the black dots-that is to say, the check illustratcd in the drawing being drawn for four thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine dollars, the right-hand cipher of 40,000 is cancelled or punched out, leaving 4, 000 5 the righthand-cipher of 8,000 in the next column to the right is canceled or punched out, leaving 800;` the right-hand cipher of the 200 in the next column is canceled or punched out, leaving 20, and finally the right-hand cipher of 90 in the next column is canceled or punched out, leaving 9; so that, reading from left to right, the amount indicated is 4,829; and from this illustration it will be readily appreciated that any desired amount can be indicated, and that the amount so indicated is read in the usual manner from left to right. In the instance indicated the amount exhausts itself except as to cents. No provision is made for this purpose, because of lack of temptation to perpetrate a fraud.

In stating any amount in my table from $1. to $100,000 or more, said amount begins always in the extreme left-hand column and continues in the succeeding columns in regular order, thus ignoring, if necessary, the ordinary arbitrary tabular arrangement of units, tens, e. For instance, when stating a sum smaller than the extreme left-hand column calls for-say $l2-this amount would be indicated by punching out the third cipher from the right in 10,000 and the third cipher from ythe right in 2,000, which sum, exhausting itself, would not need the use of an arrester. So, also, should it be required to state $120, then the second cipher from the right in 10,000 and the second cipher from the right in 2,000 would be punched out, and the arrester at the end of 2,000 also punched out, to prevent the addition of any unit from I to 9.

In the instances cited the fifth and fourth columns only are used, thus, as already stated, ignoring the regular enumerative arrangement of the columns; but wh ere it became necessary to use all of the columns in indicating an amount, then the usual order of enumeration would be involved.

The characters placed before and after each set of gures, and which I denominate, re-

IOO

speetively, indicators7 and arresters,7 are undisturbed in the instance shown in the drawing, but become necessary in cases where the enumeration of the amount to be indicated requires less than four columns. For instance, suppose the amount "to be indicated was $45, 300. rlhen the indicator in front of 40,000 is punched out, and the indicator in front of 5,000 is punched out, and the arrester at end of 300 is punched out. rlhis indicates that the enumeration ceases with the arrester. Vhere a single amount is indicated-as, for instance, $80,000-the arrester at the end of 80,000 is punched out, which shows that the sum ends there. In this sum there is no necessity for the use of the indicator, as the arrester in closing the amount also indicates it.

The indicator and arrester characters may be of any arbitrary design-such as an arrowhead, hand, star, rbc-and the columns of iignres may be arranged within any sort of border or design, without departing from the spirit of my invention.

It will be kept in mind that I use the extreme left-hand column for the initial igure, or beginning of any amount which it may be desired to indicate, and that in no instance will there appear more than one punch-hole in any olie of the vertical columns.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is-,

l. A check, draft, or other similar evidenceof value, having imprinted upon it at any convenient locality a series of vertical columns of figures, the first arranged from top to bottom from one to nine, indicating units, and the successive columns to the left of said unit column representing multiples of one another by ten, inthe usual order of enumeration, while each column increases vertically in serial order, substantially as shown and described, whereby a given amount may be expressed and read rom left to right in the usual manner, as hereinbefore set forth.

2. A check, draft, or other similar evidence of value, having imprinted upon it a series of iigures in Vertical columns, and arranged hori Zontally in the order of usual enumeration, in combination with indicators 'and arresters, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES n. cnnAnY. [n s] Witnesses:

Tiros. N. ADAMS, XV. II. CLAGn'r'r. 

